The Second Time
by The Candlestick Maker
Summary: It's the second time Adam has had a secret admirer and he refuses to get his hopes up. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to know how serious Becky Baker is when it comes to writing love letters.
1. The First Part

**The Second Time: **It's the second Adam has had a secret admirer and he refuses to get his hopes up. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to know how serious Becky Baker is when it comes to writing love letters. Beckdam/Eclare/Fimogen fic.

* * *

**The Second Time (1/3)**

It was sticking out of his shoe locker.

All packaged in an envelope with a neat, little crimson bow, begging him to open of it. Which of course, he wasn't really looking forward to doing on account of the last time he had had a secret admirer it ended in shambles - despite how nice Tristan had been about it.

Nevertheless, his curiosity had already gotten the better of him and so, he proceeded to snatch the article from his shoe locker and run back to the cafeteria to tell Eli and Clare.

–––

"A love letter?" Eli said, grinning from ear to ear. Adam could practically feel his body about to move on its own accord, reach over the table and slap him. "Ish someone in lo-ove you?" He playfully mimicked the voice he had made whenever he teased about Adam's potential relationships.

"Shut up, you doof." Adam replied, though it didn't help that he was rapidly turning the same shade of red as his eleventh grade former uniform. Trying his best to appear less…red, Adam took his seat at the table next to Clare.

Eli looked up. "So, what does it say?"

"Love goes toward love, as schoolboys from their books. But love from love, toward school with heavy looks." By the time he had finished reading it, he was sure he was about to pass out from blushing. He didn't quite understand it, but he assumed the fact that the word 'love' had been thrown in there so many times was a place to start. "Shakespeare, I guess."

His friend just nodded. "Must be a fan of the play."

"Who sent it?" Clare asked, always so nosy. Eli tapped her nose as some sort of silent pun between the two.

"Don't know." Taking a big bite into his sandwich, Adam thought better than to get his hopes up.

"Ooh, a secret paramour? A secret admirer, perhaps? " That was Imogen. She was here since Eli thought it was best that his best friends all ate together at lunch from now on. Naturally, that meant Fiona (yes, ex-girlfriend, Fiona) would be here too. And every day after.

For Adam, it was a little more than awkward.

"Listen guys, let's try not to make a big deal out of this. The last time I let myself fall for this – it was Tristan. And while he was really nice about it, I just don't want to get my hopes up again just in case I'm doomed from the start." He returned to his sandwich.

"Love will doom you anyway." Fiona said, squeezing Imogen's hand. Eli did the same with Clare and Adam rolled his eyes. When did everyone start pairing off?

"You don't know, Adam. It might not be a niner this time." Despite her best intentions, Clare somehow managed to always say the exact wrong thing. It took a toll on his appetite.

Eli wrapped his arm around his new girlfriend happily. "I don't know, Clare. Love letters are kind of juvenile, aren't they?"

"Is that why you practically wrote me a novel last night?" She kissed his lips, much to Adam's gagging.

"Okay, done with lunch." The Torres boy dropped his sandwich on the tray.

"Me too." That was Fiona.

"Three." And that was Imogen.

At that moment, Becky Baker happened to be making her rounds. "It would be much appreciated if you saved things like that for a private hour, Elijah. Even better, if you practiced abstinence like me and Jenna."

At the other end of the table, Adam heard Fiona stifle a scoff. The blonde raised her eyebrows, still having no idea how ironic that statement was. Before they could point this out to her though, Becky had already plopped her tray down beside his, and subsequently taken the empty seat beside his. Awkwardly, Jenna Middleton followed suit, scooting next to the louder Baker twin.

"Why are you sitting here?" Eli asked almost immediately, slamming a fist against the table. He turned to the others. "Actually, more importantly, why are we letting her sit here?"

Alli and Clare, who were sitting opposite each other shrugged. "We like Jenna." Jenna mouthed her quiet 'thank you.' Becky, on the other hand, just proceeded to _stare_ at the boy next to her.

Unsure what to do, the younger Torres just stared back, which unfortunately seemed to do nothing but spur her on. If anything, her stare intensified.

"What's that?" The Baker girl asked brightly, looking at the envelope in his hands with an odd sort of grin. Eli stepped in before he could actually form an answer with his mouth.

"Intruding on other people's business, Baker?" Eli sneered so fiercely it actually made Adam stop to think about what happened when the writers met. It was just, far too intense.

"Oh, it's just a stupid letter from my secret admirer." Adam replied, ignoring Eli's comment.

Her thin lips trembling a little, Becky's blue eyes widened. "Oh, I don't think it's stupid."

"Oh, no it's definitely stupid." He replied, certain that this was just another elaborate prank. By now, he had virtually given up on a high school love life. "Like Eli said, it's juvenile."

"Hmph! For your information, I'm sure I-whoever wasted their time writing a love letter to impress you certainly doesn't consider it juvenile. Boys, really..." Surprisingly, the Baker girl huffed, picking up her tray rather indignantly. She let out a tired breath and tapped on Jenna's shoulder impatiently. "Let's go, Jenna."

"Um." The other blonde girl said, her eyes meeting awkwardly with Clare and Alli's until Becky tugged at her shoulder again. "Right, right."

Adam returned his gaze to the table. "What the hell was that?"

Much to his surprise, Imogen let out a snort, covering her mouth soon after to suppress the giggles. Fiona elbowed her girlfriend and Clare just pretended to eat her sandwich, though in actuality, she was fooling no one. Alli stared out into space with an open mouth and Eli Goldsworthy looked as if someone had just stolen his play. For a second time that day.

"Was that-?" Eli asked, a little dazed.

"It would appear so, Mr. Director." Imogen agreed.

"What?" Adam asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "What, was what?"

"She-ow." Eli rubbed the hand Clare had just slapped into the table. "What was that for?"

"I know you hate her, but you can't just tell him." Clare replied.

"I think hating her is reason enough to tell him that-ouch."

Adam assumed that it was Alli who had kicked his shin under the table. "A girl's secrets must not be shared, however obvious they may be to everyone else." The statement garnered her more puzzled looks than even Imogen usually received.

"Obvious, who's being obvious?" Adam insisted.

"Arghhh…" Eli cried, clutching his kneecap, a gesture that made Adam wonder what it was Imogen had done to him. "I wasn't going to say anything."

"I know. I just wanted to try it." The bespectacled girl stated plainly.

This, as it would soon be made clear, would prove to be only the second most ridiculous thing Adam Torres would hear before the day was over.

(tbc.)

* * *

**A/N:** After reading Goldy's hilarious HP fic, _Ron's Admirer_, I wanted to write a Degrassi story based on a character suddenly having a secret admirer. And who better than Adam, considering he's had more expertise in that field than anyone else?


	2. The Second Part

**A/N: **Special thanks to everyone who commented on the first chapter. I was completely terrified to even post this story in the first place, but look - a second chapter! Also, the third part should be the final part.

* * *

**The Second Time (2/3)**

Adam twirled the letter in hands, tossing it into the air between breaths.

The red ribbon fluttered as it fell back down.

He smiled, tapping his fingertips on the flap of the envelope as he did.

_Someone liked him! S_omeone liked _him _- not Drew, not Jake, not Eli. _Him_. Adam Torres. The VideoGame Kid. The 'Booyah' Kid. The notoriously unlucky in love, beanie expert. _Him!_

Despite telling himself not to get his hopes up, it would not be a stretch to consider him perched on cloud nine. The shambles of his last attempt at romance couldn't have been further from his mind...

–––

"What do you think you're doing?"

Immediately his mind went from red ribbons and secret admirers and (possibly) being the one someone liked to Eli's wrath went he found out he had yet to start painting the set for opening night. Which unfortunately, would be tomorrow night. Who were they kidding? They had hardly even touched the courtyard.

"Nothing! I'm not doing anything!" With a guilty expression, Adam stood quickly, slipping the envelope behind his back. His face burned with embarrassment. Tristan, who was reciting lines with Dave, just looked up with a bewildered expression. After shooting him an equally weird look, the freshman returned to rehearsal.

Apparently, Eli wasn't referring to him but rather the blonde who had just barged into the theater.

"What does it look like, Elijah?" A bright Becky Baker laughed. "I'm helping."

"No, you're... getting in the way!" Feigning ecstasy, he mimicked her girlish demeanor. The giggle didn't quite suit him. His mouth formed a serious frown, which creased his forehead. "Besides, I thought you quit. I thought you had _reasons_."

"Yes. Well, they're a little irrelevant now." Becky insisted, refusing to back down. "I'm a go-getter, Elijah. Nothing's changed that."

"If I wasn't clear the first time," Eli coaxed with fake pleasantries, bringing his palms together in a clap. Suddenly, his face darkened and he pointed a finger at the door. "Get out!"

"What's the harm?" Adam called.

"I smell a rat but...fine." Eli expelled a breath, letting his ego sink a bit for his best friend. Facing the blonde, however, he was not so kind. "Don't try anything! If I find so much as a leaf missing then-"

"There'll be _hell_ to pay." Imogen chimed, as she passed between the two former co-writers on her way to a box of stage supplies. Just as Becky was about to chastise her for language, Adam snuck up from behind her and held out a paintbrush.

"Welcome to the team!" He announced, with implied 'Booyahs,' of course. Quickly, the girl snatched the brush out of his open hand and sauntered off to work on some other set piece on the other side of the room.

Adam sighed, "Is she still upset about lunch?"

"Hey, consider it a blessing," Eli reassured him, patting the other boy on the arm. "Trust me, you _don't_ ever want to be involved with girls like her."

"Still..." Adam threw a glance in her direction, a wave of guilt phasing him. "I should probably apologize."

"Fine, you do that." Eli capitulated, letting out a tired breath, "But don't say I didn't warn you when she starts probing your brain to take back to the mother ship."

"Oh, you clearly know nothing about aliens." Again, that was Imogen, relaying between the set and the props box. Adam just raised at eyebrow at the passing statement. There were so many questions and so little time.

The director turned to find the actors on set were fooling around with swords from the second act, yet again. Exasperated, he brought his hands to his head, and furiously shouted. "Hey, guys! You can't do that!"

The hand props would have to wait, Adam decided, making his way to the set props, where the blonde was inevitably focusing all her steam into building Juliet's immaculate courtyard. Standing over her shoulder, he shoved his hands into pockets and opened his mouth.

"I'm sorry." He sighed, and when she just rolled her eyes at him, he sighed again. Was she really going to be this difficult? He scooted closer. "You were right about earlier. I mean, someone went out of their way just to make my day."

Temporarily taking her gaze off the prop, Becky turned to him, and simply muttered, "Thanks."

Then after a moment, Becky turned away, abruptly focusing all her attention on watching the paint dry rather than him. She sat there in silence for a good two, three minutes before she mouthed. "Wait, so they, um, made your day?"

"Yeah." Adam muttered absently, trying to find the reason why she was so intent on watching the paint. It just looked like paint to him. "It was, sweet." He thought out loud, which for some reason only made the girl red - he assumed he had made her angry again and corrected himself quickly, "Not at all juvenile."

Which only succeeded in making her even redder, and he assumed it was a lost cause if she was already so angry. She proceeded though, and he noticed she had to bite down her tongue. Again with the silence. What was he supposed to say in this situation?

"I guess, I'm just afraid it's some sort of prank or something-"

"It's not." Becky spat out perhaps too quickly, and when Adam met her with fading eyes, she added. "Um. Intuition."

More silence.

"So, you _do_ know a lot about love letters, right?" Adam ventured, not recognizing the shiver that crept down her spine. "I guess that makes sense, you and Eli are so into writing and all. I was just wondering..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Why would someone go to all the trouble of writing it and stalking me just to send it anonymously?"

"Oh, I don't know if I'd call it _stalking_." Becky muttered to herself, seemingly hung over that fact. Which was...odd. "But sending it anonymously? I'd just assume they were...scared."

"So someone who wrote me Shakespeare and stalked me-"

"Not necessarily 'stalked'-"

"Is scared?" Adam asked, wondering how someone so gung ho could simultaneously be so shy.

A little redder, Becky raised her voice. "There are a lot of reasons someone would be scared! You're a great guy after all! And maybe that clashes with what they believe, or thought they believed, or wanted to believe..." Adam nodded, noticing how quickly she was spewing words at him. "And that's terrifying, um I assume."

The theater fell silent, and they returned to what they had been doing at lunch. Only this time, Adam was doing all the staring, still hung over the fact that a girl like Becky (uptight, perky, put-a-paper-bag-over-her-head-for-staring Becky,) considered him a 'great guy'. Was he missing something?

"Thanks," Adam said, grinning. The colour finally returned to her face.

"No problem. So, are you going to help paint the set or just stand there looking smug?" She returned, offering him a clean paintbrush. Coy as ever.

Adam took it without a second thought.

He crouched downed next to her, "If I haven't said it yet, welcome to Degrassi."

Needless to say, their conversations continued like this – her being coy, him being blunt. They discussed school then changing schools, moving and older brothers. All things which they had in common. It was interrupted only by painting and bouts of quiet yet comfortable silence, points at which they communicated only by glancing at each other. Though, Becky still found it habit to stare at him a little longer than he did at her.

"...and Luke ends up dropping all the cans for the soup drive down the gutter," Becky grinned, finishing up her story on the misadventures at some charity drive she had volunteered for only months ago. "It was a disaster."

Adam had already set down his brush, "Drew and I were actually volunteers at the food drive last year. It's actually a funny story, we actually fought over a-"

"And what do we have over here?" Imogen said, sneaking up from behind the backstage curtain. Honestly, if that girl was trying to give someone a heart attack...

Turning positively red again, Becky opened her mouth. Before she could protest however (or explode, whichever came first), Adam spoke first.

"Nothing, Imogen." He said rather bluntly, though Imogen just rolled her eyes. What exactly was she implying? He just shrugged.

"Right..." Imogen stated, resting her hands on her hips and suddenly cocking her her to the side. She did a hair flip and her pigtails swayed as she sauntered off to find more cans of paint. "It's going to be a busy day."

–––

"So, what do you think her angle is?" Eli asked suddenly, as the four prominent drama club members made their way out of school theater.

"I honestly don't think Becky has an angle." Adam stated, throwing his backpack over his shoulder.

"Yes, but you're immaculate." Eli retorted, digging his hands into his jacket pockets. "Immaculates assume others are just as immaculate - which is just naive."

"I don't know whether to be flattered or offended."

"Why not both?" Fiona asked, and Adam chuckled himself. Maybe having her around wouldn't be so bad, after all. He had missed the humor between them.

"I just know she's planning something," Eli thought aloud, bringing a fist into his open palm. He was so consumed with his thoughts, he hardly realized that Clare had snuck up behind him until she linked their arms together. Adam gagged. Couple-y stuff.

"Or…" Clare said in an extended breath, nudging him. "She could be there to see someone_ special_."

A chorus of 'ohs' phased the five of them. Though to be fair, Adam only did so because he hadn't wanted to feel left out. It was actually rather awkward on his part.

"Adam, you dropped your letter." Fiona called from behind him.

"No, I didn't." Adam said, pulling the red ribboned envelope out of his jacket pocket. He waved it in front of her. "See?"

"Well, then what's this?" Fiona asked, shaking an identical article in his face. Identical except for the blue ribbon that held it together.

In scrutiny, Clare raised her eyebrows. "And the saga continues."

Adam shook his head, "Where did you get that, Fiona?"

"It fell out of your bag." She said, handing it to him.

"Which means Bec, er, someone slipped it into your bag, when you weren't looking." Eli's grin was massive, trying to hide his minor slip up.

"Still don't have any ideas on who your secret admirer is?" Clare asked, shoving Eli slightly with a quick jab. It did nothing to wither his perpetual grin.

"Yeah, who could possibly have slipped that letter into your bag during a _closed_ theater club meeting?" Eli added sarcastically, though the Torres boy hadn't noticed the emphasis.

"That's what I'm wondering." Adam replied, staring at the letter. Eli slapped his forehead, reveling at how incredibly thick-headed one boy could be.

"Well…" Eli insisted, waiting an extremely unnecessary amount of time for him to catch on. When he didn't, Imogen shouted, "Read it out loud!"

"Right." Adam hurriedly undid the blue ribbon, "_You make my day_."

He stared at it, wondering how something so short could be so sweet, and why (oddly, enough) it sounded_ familiar_, somehow. Twirling it in his hands though, he shook off the feeling of nostalgia. Imogen dissolved into a mess of grins and 'awws'. Eli, on the other hand, just rubbed his forehead.

"We could stake out your locker like last time," Clare suggested, holding up one hand. "Like last time."

"No, no." Adam refused. "Besides, it could just be a joke, or something. I just don't want to be disappointed again. It's easier to leave things as they are -anonymous."

"So, you were serious about that?" Eli smirked.

Adam frowned, turning over the blue ribboned envelope in his hands. It wasn't as if he hadn't _thought _about it. Heck, he had hardly thought about anything else since the first letter had arrived. But-

"How am I supposed to know?" Adam asked sternly. "If this is real, or not?"

"Well,_ I_ think you should give, Ms. Secret Admirer a chance." Imogen hopped forward.

"Ha!" Eli barked, as if he had found something awful in his soup. "Please, Adam can do better than someone who has to quote the most cliched line of Romeo and Juliet in order to inspire romance." He was of course, referring to the first letter sent.

"It's a cliche for a reason, Goldsworthy." Imogen retorted. "I think the fact that it's Shakespeare at all, gives the sender automatic kudos."

"Still doesn't stop her from appearing shallow." Eli persisted.

"Still waters run deep." Imogen refused to back down.

"Clare? Fiona? Thoughts?"

Fiona shook her head, raising her hands defensively, "Leave me out of this - I claim immunity for being the ex."

"Okay, fine. Fair enough." Eli contended before turning toward Clare. "Clare, you haven't dated Adam."

"...That you know of."

Gaping, Eli stared. First at Clare, then at Adam. Alternating between both of them with a mixture of confusion and horror. Adam was sure he was about to have an aneurysm at any moment.

"She's joking. Oh mercy knows she's joking!" Adam defended himself with raised palms. He turned toward the girl and whispered loud enough for the five of them to hear,"Are you trying to get me killed?" Clare just smiled, imitating Eli's patented smirk.

"I swear, you two have rubbed off each other in the scariest way." Fiona muttered behind them.

"Clare?" Eli raised his eyebrows.

"Clare?" Imogen put her hands on her hips.

"Fine, I think he should give her a chance-" Clare conceded.

"Aha!"

"But not rush into things."

"Aha!"

It was still a stalemate.

"So, what does that mean?" Fiona asked, still a little bewildered, though she seemed to settle down once Imogen took her hand.

"It's a tie." The bespectacled girl said gravely. She pumped her free hand into the air and shouted loud enough for the entire hall to stare at them, "I demand a recount!"

Shouldering off the random stares he received, Adam shoved both envelopes into his bag. "Guys, it's not like I'm going to date her just because you tell me too," Of course, he wasn't going to tell them he had actually considered doing this for a brief moment.

Disappointed, Imogen casted her gaze toward her shoes and let out a breath. "I guess, Becky Baker will just have to deal with it then. Mercy knows how much it hurts to have someone not like you back."

The other three nodded.

The fourth - Adam - did a double take.

Surely he hadn't heard that right.

"Did you say _Becky_?"

"_Nooo..._" Imogen replied, narrowing her eyes as she deliberated what had been just a slip of the tongue. She stressed the word with another big, long breath to stall for time. "I said - shoot, why does nothing rhyme with Becky?"

(tbc.)

* * *

**A/N: While you contemplate what rhymes with 'Becky,' please feel free to review.**


	3. The Third Part

**The Second Time (3/3)**

"Adam, say _something_." Clare pleaded after a minute of dead silence.

"_Something_." Adam replied, putting his hands on his head and rubbing his temples in circles. He paced back and forth with four pairs of eyes trained on him. "What am I supposed to say? What would anyone say?"

Eli smirked. "How about: I didn't know someone could love without a heart?"

Clare elbowed him briskly. "You should just say how you feel, Adam."

"Terrified, confused, anxious." The boy's pause was only momentary, and he soon returned to pacing.

Clare shook her head, "I meant how you feel about _her_." She bit her lip, trying to dance around the obvious question. It needed to be asked delicately, not suddenly. Tactfully.

Fiona cut right to the chase. "Do you like her?"

The question caught Adam halfway through his pacing. The thought of Becky Baker had barely grazed his mind before, other than the night she had stolen clothes from him to donate to charity. He certainly had never considered _dating _her. Not that that was an option if this was just some elaborate prank.

His stomach churned.

"Stecky? Flecky? Mecky?" Imogen thought aloud, still obviously hung over what rhymed with 'Becky'. This surely was an enigma for her. Fiona promptly shut her off by pressing her lips against hers."Necky?"

Fiona just groaned.

"Maybe." Adam mumbled, meeting four pairs of eyes.

"Maybe, you should try then." Clare insisted gently, somewhat motherly.

"Maybe, you should not." Eli countermanded.

Clare tried to elbow him again but he caught her forearm midway. Eli smirked, leaving her arm by her side in favor of wrapping his own arm around her shoulders. Turning to face her, he said in a hushed tone, "I'm just looking out for him."

Then shyly, she returned. "I know."

They held each other's gaze.

"That!" Adam shouted, pointing at the two of them where he would usually be gagging by now. "What you guys have!" He turned to face Imogen and Fiona, who were still holding hands behind their backs. "And what you have – I want _that_."

"And can you have that with Becky?" Clare asked.

There was more silence.

The four others exchanged gazes, deliberating among themselves until finally Eli met his eyes, folding his arms across his chest with an unreadable expression. "So, I guess that means you're going to go after her then?"

"Hm? What makes you say that?"

"You haven't stopped smiling since we told you." Clare said with the faint semblance of a smile, faded only by genuine concern. Taking his hands off his head, Adam felt the corners of his face. He _was _smiling. He didn't know why, but he felt…lighter. Less heavy.

"I should go talk to her." He clapped his palms together restively, the moment Imogen tried to shake him back to life once he turned catatonic again. "Is she still in the drama room?"

"Yeah. She-" Eli fake giggled again. It still didn't suit him very well. "Is _such_ a hard worker!"

"Okay, fine." Adam said, turning heel and ignoring Eli's 'Becky' voice. He waved a hand at them as he did. "Don't wait up, guys!"

The remaining four just stood there, watching him, each with a vague expression. Surprisingly, it was Fiona who broke the silence, albeit with a slightly obvious question.

"We're going to follow him, right?" The former heiress asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, clearly." Imogen replied, rolling her eyes.

–––

He wasn't sure what was going to happen. By the time he reached the drama room, he half-expected to have made up his mind over the whole fiasco with a speech on hand. At the very least he expected words to come out of his mouth the second he unbolted the door. Instead, he just stood in the silence, waiting for something magnificent to happen.

Which it did.

"Did you forget something?" Becky asked, standing up suddenly. Blonde hair fell to the sides of her face with a gentle tug from gravity; his heart dropped as well as his jaw.

"I, um, yeah." He replied lamely. Frantically looking around, he picked up the nearest ornament - a lamp - and held it up for the two of them to see. "I left, um, this here. It's my Mom's. Lamp, that is." He mentally slapped himself. When did it get so difficult talking to her?

Obviously seeing through this ruse, she just nodded out the door; he turned in the middle of his great escape.

"Okay, that was a lie." He confessed, setting the lamp back down.

With a cocky grin, she scrunched her eyebrows together."It sounded like one."

She motioned him toward the stage, and they sat crossed-legged across from each other. Patiently, Becky met his eyes with a sort of confidence he suddenly seemed to lack. Was she just waiting for him to say something?

"Are you going to tell me the truth now, mister?" She asked with only the slightest impatience.

"Oh, right." He sputtered nervously. "I don't really know who owns that lamp, though I think I might've seen it in Fiona's apartment when Imogen tried to use it as weapon after we - me and Eli - broke into her apartment but-"

"That's not really what I meant." Becky soothed, despite being a little curious as to what incident he was referring to.

"Oh, I, um, actually have some more questions about love letters that I wanted to ask you about," Adam bit his tongue, noticing how furiously his cheeks were burning. He looked away. Well, it wasn't that far from the truth. "Since you're so knowledgeable about this stuff and all." He added lamely.

"Ask away." She waved at him.

"The ribbon?" He asked, nudging around the question.

Definitively, Becky rested her hands on her hips, "It's elegant, flashy and shows they want to stand out in your eyes. Even if just a little."

"And why Shakespeare?" He inquired, nearing her face so closely when he turned, he nearly jumped back. Both of their faces were flushed with embarrassment. He brushed off her gaze in favor of breathing."Is it just because I'm helping out with Eli's production or-"

"It's because it's personal and_ romantic_." Despite her blush, she laughed, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Obviously, anyone who takes a second look at you knows you actually care about the play…despite what you want everyone to think." The hushed tone of her voice told him he wasn't to supposed to hear that last part, but he had.

_What do you think?_

He swallowed.

"When were you going to tell me it was _you_?" He asked, refusing to meet her eyes.

It certainly caught her off guard, evidenced by the shiver that ran up her spine. He just barely caught that, making the air around them shiver.

"Never." Becky said sullenly, and that was all he needed to hear. Was she that ashamed? He needed to get out of here. The urge to flee got a hold of him and he stood up briskly. "Adam, wait!"

"Why?" He asked, his voice turning to ash. "Was this supposed to be some type of joke? A little prank? Am I just a joke to you?" He turned around swinging his arms, but she caught his forearm swiftly. Their eyes met, and he felt her getting closer, lunging forth.

She pressed her lips against his, swiftly but chastely. He blinked, pressing two fingers against where her lips had just been. They were certainly _softer_ than he had imagined. Wait, had he imagined that? He hadn't realized it.

Pulling away, she sat on the edge of the stage, letting his legs dangle off the miniature cliff. Rather than looking at him though, she stared at the space between the ground and her shoes. "It just terrifies me. Being around you terrifies me."

"Being around me…" Adam said, taking a seat next to her. He swallowed. "Because I'm trans."

"Well, yes…" Becky narrowed his eyes, and he stopped himself from running away. For whatever reason, his body begged him to stay. Maybe it was because his legs had already turned to jello. "And because I _like_ you."

Adam nodded, his mind still reeling the sensation of her lips on his.

"Because if my parents found out about you, they'd probably have an aneurysm. Because if there was anything that people have taught me, it was that being different is a sin and _everyone_ like you was just 'confused'. But then I met you, and you were far from confused - you were confident and funny and amazing. And you had the, biggest, heart! Because in the instant of meeting you, everything I grew up learning - everything my parents told me - was suddenly wrong. Because I like you so much and I recognized the consequences of liking you. Sending those letters was the most terrifying thing I've ever had to do, even knowing that they were anonymous."

She spoke in paragraphs, almost without breathing and he wrung his hands in his lap, realizing where this conversation was headed. He had heard this before with Fiona and Katie, and knew what it meant. _'You're really nice but it wouldn't work out'_. Chastising himself internally, he realized he never should have gotten his hopes up.

"And I know that there are a million reasons why we shouldn't end up together. And there are going to be other people, other opportunities for me and you-" She breathed, and he let out a sigh.

He really wasn't ready for rejection again so soon.

"But what if they aren't half as good as what we can have with each other?" She said, facing him. With a perky smile, Becky took the young Torres's hand. At the very least, he was not expecting that. "And I don't want to miss a single opportunity with you, Adam."

A smile cracked on Adam's face. Why was it so necessary to smile around her?

After a few moments, he said, "We're going to be late for class."

She smiled, "Yeah, Probably."

"I thought you were a go-getter." He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I am." She replied, scooping up her bag from the floor. She kicked herself off the ledge of the stage and sauntered ahead of him. "Are you coming, or are you just going to sit there looking smug?"

He didn't need her say it twice.

Racing ahead of her, he pulled the door open, hoping to be rather 'gentleman-like'. Instead a quartet of familiar, guiltier looking faces fell forward, in what seemed to be a case of 'leaning against the door'. He stared at them, situated like dominoes. Fiona was on top of the fallen pyramid so she spoke first, pushing herself off of Clare's back. Though at that point everyone seemed to have their own excuses.

"Adam!" Fiona spouted, with awkward, wide and unblinking eyes. "We were just-"

"- such a funny story -"

"- this isn't the Chem lab!"

"- fell down the staircase and-"

Becky shifted, not realizing she was leaning against Adam. Feeling the tingle that ran up his spine, Adam coughed, "So I take it, you guys were eavesdropping."

Fiona squirmed, Eli still looked slightly dazed, Clare wore a guilty expression and Imogen...just shrugged unabashedly. The bespectacled girl was the first to regain her voice, "_Si_. You would be correct."

Eli shifted, the last one at the bottom of the collapsed pyramid. He rubbed his eyes and simply said, "I need to go bleach my eyes somewhere."

Next to calm down, Clare shifted slightly, bringing herself to her feet. Her glance shifted between her best friend and the blonde next to him."So, you guys both like each other."

Before he could answer, Becky looped her arm around his without falter. Brimming with confidence, she muttered, "Yes."

"Triple date!" Throwing her hands into the awkwardness in the air, Imogen squealed. "Ooh, we can triple date! It'll be _sooo_ much fun, Fions."

"No." Fiona said plainly, shaking her head.

"_Never_." Eli added vehemently; he had slowly gotten over the need to bleach his eyes.

"I don't think I'd mind." Clare thought aloud, mulling over the possibility. The other two just stared at her as if she had just grown an extra head, or something. She couldn't possibly be serious...

They bickered over it and looming possibly of a 'triple date', which was greatly protested on the bounds that Eli refused to sit at the same table with Becky and Fiona preferred to make out with her girlfriend in private without their friends in such close proximity on the grounds that it was awkward. Imogen was giddy though, wrapping her arm around Clare's shoulders.

She piped in, quoting her favorite Degrassi alumni. "This semester's going to be a hoot."

–––

"Are you nervous?" Drew asked for the forth time, as Adam stood in front of the mirror checking his tie.

"Not really, it's just a first date." The brother shrugged, hesitant to admit that he had combed his hair in five different ways before heading downstairs and then promptly checking his reflection in the dining hall mirror.

"Exactly!" Drew exclaimed with zeal. "The first date can be the difference between you being her boyfriend and 'that guy she hung out with that one time'."

Adam shook his tie until the knot undid. "Okay, now I'm nervous."

"You'll do fine," Drew patted him on the back, though the gesture had lost its touch much to the looming nervousness that was currently hanging over his head.

"Easy for you to say, you've dated like millions of girls."

"What?" Bianca poked her head from the living room.

"Easy." Drew defended himself, "He's exaggerating. Tell her you're just exaggerating."

"I'm _exaggerating_." Adam said, not taking his eyes off the tie in the mirror. "What if she doesn't like this tie?"

"Yeah, you're probably right." Drew joked, with a laugh. Adam shot him daggers. "You'll do fine."

Adam traced himself in the mirror. His crisp white shirt stood out under the grey vest, the undid yellow tie hung around his neck. It was certainly not as fancy as Fiona's brother's suit, which she had lent him last year, but it was more comfortable. Unsatisfied though, he carefully smothered his dark brown hair with two fingers.

"Look at you, little Torres." Bianca said, making her way behind him. She crossed her arms, "Tell me I didn't chose the wrong brother."

"Hey!" Drew shouted, a little offended and Bianca rolled her eyes. Shaking his head, Adam just grinned to himself as he tried to fix the pale yellow tie around his collar.

–––

"How do I look, Luke?" Becky queried, making her way to the room where Luke was taking his after-game nap. With Mr. and Mrs. Baker on their way to a charity fund, it seemed almost inevitable that Becky would take this opportunity to have Adam _escort_ her to the premiere of Romeo and Jules. Luke just hated the fact that his sister was dating anyone to begin with.

"Like my sister." Luke replied, prematurely waking halfway through his nap on the couch. When she pouted, he sat upright. "Fine, you look very nice. Are you happy, now?"

"Very," Becky nodded, smoothing down her dress with her hands until it was perfectly flat.

Luke eyed her uneasily in the corner of his eye. "Mom and Dad are going to freak when you tell them."

"I'll ease it in." Becky stated, before suddenly turning toward him with accusatory eyes. "You won't tell them, will you? Because if you do, Luke –"

Luke raised his hands in defense, "Don't worry about it, Becks."

He didn't mention that she already had a lot of dirt on him, which he preferred to keep under the ground. And honestly, if his sister had to date anyone, it was probably best that she dated the 'nice' Torres boy. Compared to the other single guys at Degrassi - teammate Owen, KC the sperminator, and Dave, who had tried to persuade his last girlfriend to give up MIT to stay in Degrassi Central- Adam was certainly a relief. He just hated the thought of anyone touching his sister. _Ugh._ He shuddered. Mental images, Luke. Why do you always give yourself mental images?

The doorbell rang, and he watched as his sister leapt up to answer it. He rolled his eyes.

"That's probably him. I should probably get that." She first spouted nervously.

"Yeah, probably." Luke replied, unable to return to his nap now. He rose from the couch and watched awkwardly as she flung open the front door, and the two of them stared at the nervous looking Torres at their doorstep.

"We match." Becky gaped.

"Yeah," He said, reaching for the tie with the likeness of her own pale yellow dress. "You said yellow was your favorite color." Shifting a little, the younger Torres grinned, not taking his eyes off her. Not that she didn't do the same. He held out a bouquet of yellow azaleas with trembling hands. "These are for you."

Luke cleared his throat, "Ahem."

The two of them jumped.

"Have her home by ten," Luke explained, a little bitterly. "A second later and I'll-"

"Luke!" Becky huffed. Luke shook his head.

"I will." Adam took the matter very seriously. "Not a second later."

Luke's mouth quirked into a lopsided, involuntary smile. Adam offered her an arm, which she gladly looped with her own. They head down the front porch and Luke eyed her seriously, before reaching to closing door behind them.

"You call me if he is anything less than a gentleman, okay?" He mouthed, still a little protective over his sister. She just rolled her eyes, and it did nothing to quell his nerves; the way Adam looked at her however, did. He shut the door, and resigned to the window, watching them through the blinds.

"Is he still watching us?" Becky asked at the bottom of the doorstep. Adam nodded, and she let out a groan. "I'm really sorry about him. He's just a little protective over me."

"I get it - you're worth protecting," Adam said before standing on his toes and glancing at the window. The blinds shuddered, eliciting a grin out of both of them. He turned toward the blonde with a slight head bob and felt her slip her hand into his. Nervously, he cleared his throat. "We should really get going."

"Yeah, probably." She muttered, giving his hand a light squeeze and holding the bouquet of azaleas in her other hand. He grinned at her without trying, and she did the same without a second thought, tugging on his collar slightly to pull him along. He almost fell, but that was alright.

He was already falling.

_**~ Fin ~**_

* * *

**A/N: **First of all, thank guys so much for reading. This was a really fun story to write, especially with the Misfits + Fimogen friendship dynamic and Becky as a really intense secret admirer. And I like writing her brother as also very intense in a protective way.

I based their date outfits and the 'tugging on his collar' thing from the promo pics.


End file.
